Today heralds the long-awaited opening of the Euro 2020 finals. Here’s the lowdown on the curtain raiser for a tournament that kicks off a year late due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a taste of what’s ahead this weekend.

Who’s playing today?

Italy will take on Turkey in the opening match of the European Championships, a Group A tussle at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, with an 8.0pm kick-off.

Where can I watch it?

The game will be shown live on RTE2 & BBC1. RTE will be showing every game live and free-to-air from the opening day to the final at Wembley on July 11.

Is there an opening ceremony?

Yes there will be an opening ceremony at the Stadio Olimpico starting at 7.0pm (Irish time) with a strong Irish involvement as U2’s Bono and The Edge join one of the world’s biggest DJs/producers Martin Garrix for a virtual performance of the tournament’s official song ‘We Are The People.’

Who will win?

Italy – managed by former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini – are unbeaten in 27 games and will be expected to topple the Turks on opening night. However, there are no guarantees and often the biggest upsets are caused in the first round of games. Italy will remember with no fondness at all their USA ‘94 opener against Ireland which ended in defeat before they regrouped and went all the way to the final.

What are the match odds?

Paddy Power’s match odds are Italy to win at 1/2, Turkey to win at 7/1, and 1¼ for a draw.

Will there be a crowd present?

Yes, 16,000 lucky spectators – roughly 25 per cent of the Stadio Olimpico’s capacity – will be in attendance at tonight’s game.

Who are the key players on both sides?

For Italy, all eyes will be on Federico Chiesa to help inspire the Azzurri. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because the 23-year-old Juventus attacker is the son of former Parma and Italy striker Enrico Chiesa.

Turkey, meanwhile, will rely on veteran striker and captain Burak Yilmaz for inspiration. The 35-year-old is still playing and scoring regularly for French side Lille.

Who else is in Group A?

Irish fans will keep a keen eye on this group as ‘Celtic cousins’ Wales and their talisman Gareth Bale will be hoping to get to the next round. They take on Switzerland in the Azerbaijan capital Baku tomorrow (kick-off 2.0pm Irish time).

Your weekend TV guide

Today

Group A: Turkey v Italy, RTÉ2/BBC1, 8.0

Tomorrow

Group A: Wales v Switzerland, RTÉ2/BBC1, 2.0

Group B: Denmark v Finland, RTÉ2/BBC1, 5.0

Group B: Belgium v Russia, RTÉ2/ITV, 8.0

Sunday, June 13

Group D: England v Croatia, RTÉ2/BBC1, 2.0

Group C: Austria v North Macedonia, RTÉ2/ITV, 5.0

Group C: Netherlands v Ukraine, RTÉ2/ITV, 8.0

SIX YOUNG GUNS TO WATCH AT EURO 2020

THE forthcoming European Championship is a stage on which some of the best players in the world can showcase their skills.
But, while the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo are household names – invariably a young, much less familiar talent becomes the breakout star.
Here, we highlight six precociously talented players whose names could be on everyone’s lips by the end of the summer.

Joao Felix (Portugal)
Felix (below) may not be the most shocking name to make this list, but the tournament could provide a coming-of-age moment for the 21-year-old.
He can now add his LaLiga title with Atletico Madrid to his Portuguese Primeira Liga winner’s medal and the Nations League crown of 2019 – but in a squad as talented as Portugal’s, he can sometimes get lost in the shuffle.
He has three goals from his 16 caps to date – and will have to add to that, when given the opportunity, if he is to begin to emerge from the shadow cast by the likes of Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes.

Dejan Kulusevski (Sweden)
Juventus may have endured a frustrating season, but there is no doubt that Kulusevski emerged as a positive force during the campaign.
The 21-year-old winger scored and assisted in the 2-1 Coppa Italia final win over his former side Atalanta before his place in Sweden’s squad was confirmed.
He has 11 caps to his name and, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic sidelined, Kulusevski is likely to be among those players who the Swedish supporters will gravitate towards – especially if he has a strong showing over the summer.

Ryan Gravenberch (Netherlands)
Another fine product of the fabled Ajax academy, 19-year-old midfielder Gravenberch (right) will be hoping to make his mark at the Euros.
With two Dutch titles and a 2018 Under-17s World Cup winners’ medal to his name already, the defence-minded teenager made his senior Holland debut in March.
While he may not be in the team for the first game against Ukraine, he will be there, or thereabouts, for as long as Holland can go in the tournament – and will no doubt benefit from the experience.

Eljif Elmas (North Macedonia)
Tournament debutants North Macedonia will be looking to provide some memorable upsets in their first appearance at a major finals.
Elmas will undoubtedly play a big role for the newcomers, much as he did when scoring in a shock 2-1 World Cup qualifying win away to Germany earlier this year.
The 21-year-old midfielder has amassed 80 appearances for Napoli and was named Macedonian footballer of the year in 2019 – with a strong tournament his stock will only continue to rise.

Phil Foden (England)
Foden’s rise to the heady heights of the game has been anticipated for some time and the Manchester City forward enjoyed a fine season for both club and country.
Still only 20 years of age, he collected a third Premier League winners medal last month, scoring 16 goals across all competitions for Pep Guardiola’s side.
He also broke into the senior England squad for the first time, scoring twice in a 4-0 Nations League win over Iceland in November – and he could prove to be Gareth Southgate’s joker in the pack if the Three Lions are to progress deep into the tournament.

Pedri (Spain)
Unlike the majority of young talent that breaks into the Barcelona first team, Pedri is not a product of the club’s famed La Masia academy.
The 18-year-old joined from Las Palmas and played in 37 LaLiga games in his first season at the Nou Camp.
The midfielder became the second youngest player in Barca history to reach 50 appearances and made the cut for Luis Enrique’s 24-man squad with the hope of getting a chance to impress for his country.

THE DARK HORSES

You have a core of teams who can possibly win it – England, Belgium, Italy, France, Spain, Germany and Portugal – but outside of that I’d struggle to see someone with a real challenge, maybe Poland, if Robert Lewandowski can drag them with him.